June 12, 2011

A Warrior's Witch Blog Tour: Stacey Kennedy Interview!

Hey everyone!

I'm very excited to be a part of Stacey Kennedy's A Warrior's Witch Blog Tour! This is an amazing book that I recommend to all Paranormal Romance lovers out there! I'll post my review later today, but first, I'm sure you want to know more about Stacey and her books, right? Well, I had the honor to interview her and she's super awesome, you'll see! So please welcome Stacey at Deea's Journal today!

Deea: Hi Stacey! Welcome to Deea's Journal!:)

First off, tell us a bit about yourself.

Stacey Kennedy:I am a thirty two year old wife, mom, house cleaner, cook, teacher, play-doh extraordinaire, swing pusher, toddler chaser after – who loves the outdoors, curling up with the latest flick, and if I’m not plugging away at a new novel, I’ve got my nose buried deep in a good book.

D: What brought you to the paranormal genre?

SK: I was first introduced to paranormal romance through the Twilight saga. I immersed myself in the series, but found that I wasn’t fulfilled. I loved the series, but I needed more — something a little more adult in nature—which lead me to adult paranormal books. Once I dug in, I was hooked.

D: How would you describe your books’ world and characters to someone who hasn’t read any of your stories yet?

SK: My novels are lighthearted fantasy with heart squeezing, thigh-clenching romance, and even give a good chuckle every now and again.

D: Can you give us the short, Twitter-like description of A Warrior’s Witch? So we can share it with with our bffs. :D

SK:Decades old guilt collide with a murder, igniting a battle in a warrior’s soul to choose between love and duty…

D: Aside from being wonderful stories filled with fast paced action, mystery, steamy romance and great humor, your books also introduce us to a magic world, full of powerful supernatural creatures. *swoon* Which is your favorite supernatural being? Also, if you could have any superpower, what would that be?

SK:Um…do I have to answer? I hope not, because I find all supernatural creatures in their own right sexy, and for all different reasons. Really, I couldn’t pick. Heck, call me selfish, but I want them all! J

(LOL Fair enough)

D: I think what we all love most about Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance books are the witty, sexy, kick- butt heroes/heroines. Who is your favorite hero/heroine (in a series that is not your own)?

SK:The Magical Sword and The Blue Bloods covers are designed by Anne Cain, who just oozes with talent.With a pretty basic idea of what I was looking for, she created a brilliant design and brought my characters to life.

A Warrior’s Witch, and all the future books in the Otherworld series will be designed by PJ Edwards. I have never meshed so well with anybody before. Her creativity and my vision just work so well together. She awes me every time she sends a new cover along.

See what I mean?

D: How long does it take for you to write a book?

SK:From start to finish, a full length novel will take me around two months. Then, I go through a round of revisions, send it off for a critique and beta read, then a couple more rounds edits. So, the whole process I would say takes about three months.

D: What is your favorite part of the writing process?

SK: I love how the stories evolve and become something I didn’t expect.How I can have a plan for the story in my mind, and by the end of it, it becomes something totally different.As fun as it is for the reader, it’s equally as fun for the author writing it.All the twists and turns, surprise endings...it’s just a blast!

(Oh...wow! That sounds pretty amazing! I wish I was talented enough to be a writer...*sigh*)

D: So what is coming up next for you? Are you already working on a new story?

SK: Next month, TAINTED BLOOD ~ The Dark Element Book One, will release. It takes off right after Nexi’s books, The Magical Sword series leaves off. Here, we get to see Ryker & Sabi’s story. Here’s the blurb:

Earth Witch, Sabi has been gifted with the ability to see premonitions of the darkness that threatens human lives. Safe in the Otherworld she adjusts to these new visions…which isn’t going so well. Luckily, she’s got the sexy Guardian, Ryker to help her work through these visions. He’s intent to show her how to distance herself from them and help her gain control of life. Not that it’s really helping. These visions are leaving her crippled and unable to help pinpoint the killer’s locations to stop these acts from happening.

If that’s not enough to deal with, she soon begins to see vampires on a killing rampage in San Francisco. Vampires are being born and left to fend for themselves, resulting in innocent lives being taken while they’re in the throes of blood lust. But as Sabi’s visions begin to kick up a notch, personal matters need to be put aside. And as the mystery begins to unravel, Sabi will begin to see that these visions are getting far more dangerous and that humans are not the only ones at risk―she is…

D: Is there any question you always wished someone would ask you but no one did? ;)

SK: One question, I’d always wanted to be asked, is why do I write? My answer—I do it because I love it. The experience is much the same for me when I read. I enjoy the process, love spending time with the characters and getting to know them. The day I stop loving it as much as I do right now—is the day I stop writing.

D: Always the curious type, I like to find out more about my favorite authors. So here are a few random quick questions for you:

Early bird or night owl?

Night owl—I’m not very happy in the morning.

Coffee or tea?

Coffee. I would die without it!

Favorite sweets?

Chocolate, and all types—ice cream, cake, chocolate bars—YUM!

Favorite color?

Blue

Favorite season?

Fall—I love how pretty the world looks at this time of year.

Biggest pet peeves?Heavy breathers. Yes, strange, but true. I can forgive someone who has allergies, or a nasal condition. But it drives me insane when I’m at the movies or something, and someone who is sitting next to me is breathing heavy enough for me to hear it. LOL!

Guilty pleasures while writing?

Coffee. That’s it…that’s all. Without coffee, I’d not get much done.

Country you would like to visit the most?

Scotland—I’m dying to go there, and plan to. That is, once the kiddies get older and allow me have some time away. J

Congrats on the A Warrior’s Witch release and thank you for taking the time to answer all my questions!<3

Murder has brought Talon, Master of Guardians, as well as Zia, his witch and Master of Witches, to Chicago. The manner of death appears to be a suicide, but Talon is far from ready to close the case. To avenge the Guardian linked to his past, he agrees to take on the assignment, and find her killer.

As they dive deeper into the investigation, they find themselves entering a world where BDSM is the norm. A lifestyle that Zia is uncomfortable with and, rattled by this new development, she is more than ready to return to the Otherworld. But their investigation quickly takes an unexpected twist when they discover that they’re not only hunting a killer but also someone who is controlling supernaturals in Chicago.

Their mission not only brings danger, but also forces Talon to deal with decades old guilt that corrodes his soul. Every event that unfolds only deepens his fight and pushes him to face an ultimate choice—what is more important—his duty to the Otherworld or the witch he holds closest to his heart?

Read more about Stacey and her books on her website, and find her on Twitter and on Facebook, she loves hearing from her readers!:)

I hope you enjoyed the interview! Check out the next Tour stop, The Musings of M.D. Christie, who's hosting a guest post and a giveaway!;)
Follow the Blog Tour and you'll also find excerpts of A Warrior's Witch and giveaways! :)

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Disclosure

All books reviewed on this blog are purchased by me or provided by authors/publishers in exchange for review. I only offer my honest opinion and I am not compensated in any way for doing it - except for the honor and pleasure of reading the books, of course.

All links on this blog are free links that send to third parties. They are freely chosen by me and FYI only. I am not monetary or otherwise compensated for posting them.

I enjoy reading Young Adult and Adult books too, but I keep my blog content family friendly.

English is not my first language, so I'm sorry if you find any typos or mistakes!